What role did Clay Play in the House of Representatives?
President Adams appointed Clay to the prestigious position of secretary of state; as a result, critics alleged that the two had agreed to a “corrupt bargain”….
| Henry Clay | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky | |
| In office March 4, 1811 – January 19, 1814 | |
| Preceded by | William T. Barry |
Why was Henry Clay an important political figure?
Public office of Henry Clay. As speaker and one of the leaders of the faction called the War Hawks, Clay was key in securing a declaration of war against Great Britain in June 1812. He also served on the American peace delegation at Ghent that negotiated the treaty signed December 24, 1814, which ended the War of 1812.
Who is Henry Clay and what did he do?
Henry Clay worked as a frontier lawyer before becoming a Kentucky senator and then speaker of the House of Representatives. He was the Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams in the 1820s, later returning to Congress, and pushed for the Compromise of 1850, with overall conflicting stances on race and slavery.
How does Henry Clay defend the American System?
When he advocated for his American System, Clay focused on the need to build growing home markets for American goods. He contended that blocking cheap imported goods would ultimately benefit all Americans.
Did Henry Clay believe in manifest destiny?
Clay made clear his opposition, but true to his moniker, he sought compromise. And in his 1844 race against James Polk, Clay opposed the annexation of Texas, sealing his defeat in the face of national obsession with manifest destiny. For his last hurrah, Clay returned to the issue of slavery.
How did clay prevent the breakup of the United States?
Two more times in his political career would Clay step in as lead negotiator and prevent a breakup of the still young United States. In 1833, he walked South Carolina back from the brink of secession. At issue was a series of international tariffs on U.S. exports that had been sparked by American tariffs on imported goods.
Where did James Brown Clay go to school?
CLAY, Henry, (father of James Brown Clay), a Senator and a Representative from Kentucky; born in the district known as “the Slashes,” Hanover County, Va., April 12, 1777; attended the Old Field School and St. Paul’s School in Hanover County, Va.; studied law in Richmond, Va.; admitted to the bar in 1797 and commenced practice in Lexington, Ky.;
How did Robert Wythe affect clay’s worldview?
Wythe had a powerful effect on Clay’s worldview, and Clay embraced Wythe’s belief that the example of the United States could help spread human freedom around the world. Wythe arranged for Clay a position with the Virginia attorney general, Robert Brooke, with the understanding that Brooke would finish Clay’s legal studies.
What are the names of John Clay’s children?
Clay and his wife had eleven children (six daughters and five sons): Henrietta (1800–1801), Theodore (1802–1870), Thomas (1803–1871), Susan (1805–1825), Anne (1807–1835), Lucretia (1809–1823), Henry, Jr. (1811–1847), Eliza (1813–1825), Laura (1815–1817), James Brown Clay (1817–1864), and John Morrison Clay (1821–1887).